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A story about assumptions

N546RV

Well Known Member
(Fear not, this story does not involve loss of life and limb or the destruction of innocent airplane parts)

Way back in March, the long-awaited day arrived: the truck driver called to report that he'd be at my house in about 30 minutes with me wing kit. I was overjoyed...time to get some of the Real Work going here! Getting down to business inventorying took a bit of the shine off, particularly when I saw that I had a few items backordered:

  • A couple of tank ribs
  • All 210 of the tank attach nutplates
  • Some nutplates for the stall warning kit (which I didn't plan on using anyway)

That didn't stop me from getting to work, though. I set about assembling the rear spars, and when that ran out, I went to tinkering on the main spars. Without the tank attach nutplates, the Big Job had to wait, but I still had inspection plate nutplates, tiedowns, etc., all of which I took care of.

About a month in, I hadn't received any shipments from Van's, so I gave them a call to check on the status of my backorder. I found that the tank ribs had come in, along with one of the nutplate batches, but the other nutplates had not. I didn't remember off the top of my head the part numbers for the nutplates and which ones were for the stall warner and which ones were for the tanks, but it was suggested that the ones still on backorder were for the tanks.

End result: they shipped out the stuff they had in stock, and were expecting the other nutplates to go out in early May. Thus did I set in my head the expectation that all that countersinking would wait until May.

A few days later, I got a shipment. Hooray, parts! In it I found exactly what I was expecting: two tank ribs and a paper bundle. Remember, I was expecting the stall warning nutplates, which I cared nothing about. So while the ribs went directly to my Big Shelf O' Airplane Parts, I just tossed that paper bundle on a workbench without even checking its contents.

Over the next few weeks, I sporadically lamented my prodigal tank attach nutplates. Why, if I just had those things, I wouldn't lack for work at all! Lots of countersinking to do! If only they'd just ship them out! I finally resigned myself to getting into the grind of straightening ribs.

Then, today, I was overjoyed to find an envelope from Van's in the mailbox. Finally, my last missing link was here! I practically ran inside, tore the envelope open, and found...a tiny bag containing ten nutplates.

TEN?!?! There are supposed to be 200-and-some of these for the tanks? How in the world did they foul this backorder up so bad? My victory had been destroyed! Puzzled, I went out to the garage to look at the parts list and see if there were some other backordered nutplates I'd forgotten about.

(Many of you undoubtedly see where this is going)

Ha, there's the backorder list! Two tank ribs...nutplates for the stall warning kit, which consists of...wait..ten K1100-06. I take a look at the bag I just got in the mail. Ten K1100-06 nutplates.

Wait, does this mean...? My gaze fell upon that still-unwrapped paper bundle over in the corner. Surely I'm not this dumb, right?

Yes, I am. Inside that paper bundle was a bag with 210 K1100-08 nutplates. Sure enough, those nutplates I'd lamented not having had been gathering dust in my garage for a month.

Paris_Tuileries_Garden_Facepalm_statue.jpg


On the bright side, my wing ribs are almost all done!
 
At least you knew where the original package was. I get most frustrated with myself when I can't find the parts but have the receipt in hand. I'm still looking for the glare shield edging from McMaster-Carr. It's here somewhere and I will find it one day. In the meantime, it's replacement has been fit already.
 
Philip, if that's the worst mistake you make, you'll be just fine. I think we've all had those face-palm moments! Build on. It will all be quickly forgotten. :)
 
Yeah,

My first ATC instructor (and this can be applied anywhere also...) had these well knowed humbling words :

Never assume... because it makes an A** out of U and ME...

Your story is an excellent one and it should be one of the first chapters of Building 101 !!!

Thanks for sharing !!!
 
Me too...

I was also on "the nutplate wait list" for a while. Apparently, Vans was having difficulty getting them from one of their suppliers, so many others were waiting as well while they sorted that all out. If I had only known that you had nutplates on your bench!:mad: (As I grew up in GA) "Ida stowl dem rite owta yore shop!" :D
 
Been There - Done That

My brain dump was the braided brake lines for my -8A. Repeated searches of the mountain of parts I had in the workshop failed to locate them - so I assumed I had tossed them with the original packing materials and ordered replacements.

Turns out they were packed inside one of the gearfairings!
 
Philip, if that's the worst mistake you make, you'll be just fine. I think we've all had those face-palm moments! Build on. It will all be quickly forgotten. :)

I wouldn't say it's my worst mistake by any stretch. It is, however, the most blackly humorous one I've committed so far. Course, there's still a lot of time left...
 
Assumptions

I have done many things like that throughout my build project. My wife started calling me Homer Simpson. DOH!!....DOH!!.....DOH!
 
When inventorying the fuselage kit I looked at those plastic eyeball vents people complain about and realized they were right to complain. When it came time to install, could not find them. Looked at every possible hiding place in my shop several times. 3 Years later and I still don't know where they went.
At least you did not rivet 210 of the incorrect nutplates to your spars.
 
The RV-8's upper forward fuselage skin comes pre-scored for the baggage door cutout. I carefully removed the cutout, cleaned up the edges, and used it to build the baggage door, assuming it was the outer skin. Months later, airplane complete, I got wondering about the extra door-sized aluminum sheet all by itself in the box under the bench.
 
The RV-8's upper forward fuselage skin comes pre-scored for the baggage door cutout. I carefully removed the cutout, cleaned up the edges, and used it to build the baggage door, assuming it was the outer skin. Months later, airplane complete, I got wondering about the extra door-sized aluminum sheet all by itself in the box under the bench.

Uh, Dan....if a guy walks up to you at Oshkosh and hands you a beer...he is just saying thanks for saving him a bit of time.
 
Dan: Thought I was the only one! I did find the piece in the "parts" box before building the door with the cut-out piece, but that was just luck.
 
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